Hunger
tomatoey
Posts: 5,446 Member
Can anyone speak to ways of controlling hunger on a keto/low carb, high fat/atkins diet?
(I know these are not equivalent - any thoughts on differences, re impact on hunger?)
(I know these are not equivalent - any thoughts on differences, re impact on hunger?)
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Replies
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Stay patient. You get to a point where you never really feel that hungry. You et the odd day you want to eat a lot but that's about 1 in 15 for me.0
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Basically it comes down to more fat and protein making you go longer without getting hungry. If you go carb-heavy relative to the rest of your day on one meal, even if you're below a certain carb limit for the day, there's a chance that one meal will make you feel hungry again. One of the selling points of keto is that in ketosis, you'll go without hunger for very long stretches or without ever feeling it at all. If you don't want to go that low, try to be strict about balancing your carbs to the lowest you can distribute them through the day (ie, if you're staying at 100 carbs, don't go above 30 at any one meal, and if you use that last 10 for snacks, make sure the snacks are protein/fat heavy, with the carbs being the smallest contributor).0
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SlimBride2Be wrote: »Stay patient. You get to a point where you never really feel that hungry. You et the odd day you want to eat a lot but that's about 1 in 15 for me.
Great news, thanks
Basically it comes down to more fat and protein making you go longer without getting hungry. If you go carb-heavy relative to the rest of your day on one meal, even if you're below a certain carb limit for the day, there's a chance that one meal will make you feel hungry again. One of the selling points of keto is that in ketosis, you'll go without hunger for very long stretches or without ever feeling it at all. If you don't want to go that low, try to be strict about balancing your carbs to the lowest you can distribute them through the day (ie, if you're staying at 100 carbs, don't go above 30 at any one meal, and if you use that last 10 for snacks, make sure the snacks are protein/fat heavy, with the carbs being the smallest contributor).
Very helpful - thank you. How long does it take to get to this point?
I should also mention that I'm not asking for myself, but for someone who isn't well and is considering a keto diet as an adjunct to other treatments. They are experiencing strong hunger (on their ordinary diet), possibly because of their illness, or the treatments they're having to take.
(I know that the specifics of the illness matter tremendously, and that supervision by a dietitian will be required; just asking about hunger in general, for now)0 -
Make sure their fat is high. At least 50% of their macros, possibly substantially more. That's the filling part.0
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It takes 1-2 weeks for the hunger to fully subside but there will be plenty of 'full' days in that period.0
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I am having the same issue. I am on day 5 of LCHF. I have my macros set at 10% carbs/60% fat/30% protein. I've lost 3 lbs in 6 days so I know it's working. But even with drinking a ton of water, I am still getting hungry. I'm also having trouble getting enough fiber without going over in carbs. Not giving up though.0
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The habit of eating certain foods, plus the carbage addiction plays a huge role in hunger at first. It takes determination to get through that! After a couple of weeks the hungry days aren't as frequent and get better from there. I've been keto for almost two months and I don't remember my last hungry day! This woe is so liberating! Good luck to all!0
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I am having the same issue. I am on day 5 of LCHF. I have my macros set at 10% carbs/60% fat/30% protein. I've lost 3 lbs in 6 days so I know it's working. But even with drinking a ton of water, I am still getting hungry. I'm also having trouble getting enough fiber without going over in carbs. Not giving up though.
I used to worry about fiber. However, my bowels seem to have adapted well and my fiber intake is considerably lower. I do take psyllium capsules daily but find I only take 3 a day instead of the recommended 5 and get good results. I believe there was some discussion on a thread here that talked about the high fiber recommendation of the typical diet relates to the high intake of carbs.0 -
SlimBride2Be wrote: »Make sure their fat is high. At least 50% of their macros, possibly substantially more. That's the filling part.
Thank you. I'll pass it on. I've seen recommendations for a 4:1 fat:protein+carb ratio, with 8 grams of carbs, max.0 -
SlimBride2Be wrote: »It takes 1-2 weeks for the hunger to fully subside but there will be plenty of 'full' days in that period.
Good to know, thank you.0 -
My cravings stopped after two weeks of going off carbs cold turkey. Getting adapted to burning fat was not hard but it took months to get the energy level I have today being 25 pounds lighter. I started out very sick so things went slower for me. For me to lose I need to stop eating at 5 PM daily but I am not eating low calorie by any means.0
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I am having the same issue. I am on day 5 of LCHF. I have my macros set at 10% carbs/60% fat/30% protein. I've lost 3 lbs in 6 days so I know it's working. But even with drinking a ton of water, I am still getting hungry. I'm also having trouble getting enough fiber without going over in carbs. Not giving up though.
Fiber's role in the human body is pretty questionable, and the American/Western recommendations are arguably absurdly inflated. I wouldn't worry too much about getting "enough" fiber. (Seriously, look up the history of Kellogg. The entire story behind the creation of the Kellogg company was to get as much fiber as possible into people, and it wasn't because of health reasons.)
Also, in the early days, don't worry too much about restricting calories. Your body is converting to using a different fuel as primary and needs to adjust things in the cells to make that happen. That takes energy. If you're hungry (actually hungry, not bored or emotional), eat, and just make it as much protein/fat as you can. It will settle out after a couple of weeks.0 -
I didn't have any trouble with hunger at all. I stick with 5% carbs(20g), 20% protein and 75% fat with a 20% calorie deficit. I read a lot before starting keto so I knew that getting enough fat was the key to controlling hunger and not going over on protein.0
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LOL. I NEVER get to the point where I don't feel that hungry, but I feel less hungry than on low cal. But I rarely REALLY crave carbs.0
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Dragonwolf wrote: »I am having the same issue. I am on day 5 of LCHF. I have my macros set at 10% carbs/60% fat/30% protein. I've lost 3 lbs in 6 days so I know it's working. But even with drinking a ton of water, I am still getting hungry. I'm also having trouble getting enough fiber without going over in carbs. Not giving up though.
Fiber's role in the human body is pretty questionable, and the American/Western recommendations are arguably absurdly inflated. I wouldn't worry too much about getting "enough" fiber. (Seriously, look up the history of Kellogg. The entire story behind the creation of the Kellogg company was to get as much fiber as possible into people, and it wasn't because of health reasons.)
Also, in the early days, don't worry too much about restricting calories. Your body is converting to using a different fuel as primary and needs to adjust things in the cells to make that happen. That takes energy. If you're hungry (actually hungry, not bored or emotional), eat, and just make it as much protein/fat as you can. It will settle out after a couple of weeks.GaleHawkins wrote: »My cravings stopped after two weeks of going off carbs cold turkey. Getting adapted to burning fat was not hard but it took months to get the energy level I have today being 25 pounds lighter. I started out very sick so things went slower for me. For me to lose I need to stop eating at 5 PM daily but I am not eating low calorie by any means.
Thank you.
Good information all around, thanks.1
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